Brace yourself, it’s January and diet culture is about to run rife. Before you know it, your FYP will be flooded with quick fixes, fad diets and hacks to shrink your body in order to make 2025 ‘your best year yet’. I’m tempted to grab a dumbphone over the summer and tap out altogether. Chances are, weight loss has topped your New Year’s wish list at some point. A recent study by Kic found that 4 in 5 women and non-binary people have made resolutions to lose weight or change their bodies—proof of how deeply societal pressures and insecurities shape our ideals. But here’s the thing, 95% of us fail to achieve our body-image-driven resolutions. That’s our beautiful sisters, friends and mothers forced to believe they should start their year by restricting their diets, counting calories and pushing their bodies to the limit. Leaving us feeling crap about ourselves because when you’re set up to fail—it’s impossible to succeed.

How Your Algo Can Save You This January

 

Diet culture doesn’t care about your well-being, it’s built on insecurity, constantly selling us the idea that we’re not good enough. And January? It’s the golden hour for these messages, with brands and unqualified profiles serving us disordered eating in fancy dress on a silver platter like it’s the answer to all life’s problems. But here’s the truth: Your worth isn’t tied to your weight. Your success has nothing to do with a number on the scales. And if you find yourself taking a ‘before’ photo, hold on to it tightly as evidence that you are enough, just as you are. If social media is fuelling your temptation to give your body a ‘glow up’ this January, trust me, there’s only one thing you need to cleanse: your algorithm.

Every time I see another fad diet go viral it’s like a roller coaster of emotions, a return trip from anger to heartbreak, and back again. It hits home when you think about the ‘real’ people behind the views, comments and likes, the thousands if not millions falling for these trends. Hungry for hacks to ‘fix their bodies’ as if they’re broken. When there’s nothing wrong with them in the first place.

 

I know how easily these trends can hook you in. But I also know the damage they can cause to your mental and physical health. And spoiler alert, you’ll never find happiness when searching for a number on the scales. While we all want to start the year ‘feeling’ our best, trust me I am here for that – there’s a huge difference between setting healthy, sustainable habits and trialling the toxic trends that swarm the zeitgeist at this time.

 

I honestly thought (perhaps this was wishful thinking) that as a society we had come a long way compared to the 90s and naughties when heroin-chic was praised as the idealistic body type. And yes, we have evolved. As consumers, we’ve become smarter, and savvier, but diet culture will always be five steps ahead. The latest wellness trends aren’t as ‘healthy’ as we’re made to believe.

 

 

Spotting Diet Culture Red Flags

Before trialling the latest fad diet or ‘wellness’ trend you see online, ask yourself these questions to identify the warning signs of diet culture: Is the person promoting it a qualified health professional? Is there a start and stop time? Are there any red flags around ‘challenges’ and the words they are using? Are you actually enjoying what you’re consuming? Can you see yourself implementing this long-term? Are you cutting out multiple food groups? Is it impacting your relationship with yourself or your food? 

 

Cleansing Your Algorithm

Cleansing your algorithm starts with curating what you consume. On Instagram, take control by muting or unfollowing accounts that don’t serve your mental well-being. On TikTok, tap the little broken heart icon to train your feed, and if you spot harmful content, hit “Report” to promote disordered eating or unhealthy body image. This small act not only helps to protect you but others too.

Cleansing your social media feed of accounts that perpetuate diet culture or make you feel inadequate isn’t just empowering – it’s transformative. Replace them with voices that educate, uplift, and inspire you to embrace your body for what it is: strong, capable, and enough as it is. Rather than chasing quick fixes or unrealistic ideals, shift the focus to how you feel. Set goals that prioritise your mental and physical well-being rather than punishing your body. Let’s make 2025 the year we take back control from diet culture and choose compassion over criticism. And most importantly, be kind to yourself.

 

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Read the original article in ELLE AUS